Shameless Star Jeremy Allen White Is Still Rooting for His Character

The genius of the Showtime series Shameless, which began its seventh season on Sunday, is that it perfectly defines the awkwardly spelled word hybrid that is "dramedy." Set on Chicago's South Side, the series follows a brood forced to raise themselves thanks to a mostly absent mother and a father who is both a fast-thinking con artist and an addict to just about every possible ingestible. Each season tends to concentrate mostly on one of the kids as it shows a unique take on say, mental illness or teen pregnancy.

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A lot of the focus now seems to be on Jeremy Allen White's Lip, the one family member whose book smarts and college education are what so many of the others are clinging to in the hopes that his success will be (at least a metaphorical) coattail ride out of this life. Up until now, Lip has taken this in stride: doing what he has to do to survive while his puppy dog eyes, deadpanned attitude, and cigarette dangling precariously from the corner of his mouth have offered him an opportunity to have lots of sex. (A surprising amount of sex, actually).

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Last season ended with Lip beginning to embrace his demons, but White tells Esquire that this won't last for long. He also talks about other parts of Lip's complex makeup and career highlights outside of Shameless.

ESQ: Are you excited that the show is concentrating on Lip this season?

Jeremy Allen White: Fortunately, the alcohol aspect hasn't been that big of a problem for Lip up until kind of later this season. He feels like he has some sort of control over it. He feels he has rules that he can attach. But in that same sense, he's kind of become more and more like Pop, which is sort of troubling. And then toward the end of the season, things get a little out of hand.

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Can you talk about the fact that he's becoming more like his dad, Frank (William H. Macy)? He hates Frank. They all hate him. He's a crappy dad.

I think Frank's been a real monster to everybody, but I think at the same time Lip's always recognized something of a genius there. He's sort of Shakespearean. He's a smart person and he never had a chance. I think that's the only thing that keeps, at least Lip, sort of into him. He's so bright and he never had a shot. That makes Lip sad and that makes Lip look at himself. He wants another shot for his dad, and he definitely wants another shot for himself, as well.

How has Lip's screw up last season changed his relationship with his eldest sister, Fiona (Emmy Rossum)? He was pissed at her when she got arrested a couple seasons ago.

I think Lip's always played the hero role that he's not quite suited to. He's expected to sort of save everybody from their lives and his neighborhood. This season, what happens is Fiona steps up and has a chance to save everybody. That's where their trouble comes from this year—not so much her being irresponsible, but also Lip's fault for not being able to see his sister for being able to do the same thing he is.

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Did you and the writers also talk about how real and dangerous binge drinking among college students actually is?

I haven't spoken to them much about it, but I think that … I never went to college, but my family has. My little sister is in college now, and I think alcoholism can be a problem that's overlooked in colleges. That's what happened in the case of Lip. Lip's been in an environment where he could have afforded to be an alcoholic and no one would have seen him the whole time. It took him going to college to get the finger pointed at him. In his environment, growing up, it takes a whole lot more to get in trouble for that kind of thing.

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How do you feel about playing someone who is so smart?

I think that's been clear since the beginning of the show, how brilliant he is. I hope for the audience it's been clear that Lip got it from his father; from Frank. I don't think alcohol abuse and drug abuse has been something they've shared so much until recently. I definitely think that now the show wants to paint this picture that Lip can really become something like Frank.

He is so bright and had so many chances. But he can also be pretty dim in a lot of ways, and kind of spit at them.

Lip has this amazing confidence. Do you feel that way about yourself?

I hope that comes through with Lip. I think that's important to him, and I think he knows how smart he is and that he needs to be respected and confident about that. That really has nothing to do with me.

Do you think his love life will get sorted out?

He's found someone, who I think is the best person to come across the worlds our show lives in. He's met someone who's very good, who has a son … who is very good to him and who understands addiction. I hope he can find some happiness with her, but he ends up going down some old paths he shouldn't. He goes after his old professor this year and I think that's someone he should stay away from.

I think ever since Lip thought he was going to have a child with Karen (Laura Wiggins) [several seasons ago], I think he's always kind of wanted to succeed in some way—at least [as a] father figure, not only to another child but to his younger siblings. I think by being in this relationship with someone who has a kid, it's brought up those same issues of "can I be a good dad even though my dad hasn't been? Can I put on that sort of mask of being a good father figure when my father couldn't?"

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After all these seasons, have the sex scenes gotten easier to film?

Yeah. They're not a big deal for me now. It's just more of trying to figure out how to make the other person comfortable at this point.

No one holds a cigarette in his or her mouth quite as well as you do—there's this hardened artist quality to it. Is that how you handle it in real life?

Unfortunately, I've been a smoker for quite a few years. I think that's something that practice made perfect for both me and Lip. I think I started smoking around the same time I started doing the show, and it's something I've gotten better at it as he's gotten better at it.

Your movie career isn't that long. But you were among the star-studded ensemble of the raunchy sketch comedy, Movie 43. How did that movie even happen?

That was such a weird thing, wasn't it? It was the normal way that I got involved. I went in to audition for it … and I met with the director and I got the role. I really had no idea outside of my little skit what was going to be shown in that movie otherwise… It was such a strange thing how they got everybody together to do that. They had the big premiere of it at [what was then called the Grauman's] Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. I had not seen any other footage and I went with my girlfriend at the time. Midway through, I was so nervous and I wanted to get out of there. At the same time, there were some great folks in that.